One of the interesting things about Eyes of Laura Mars is seeing youth on the faces of some people that are among the veterans of Hollywood now. Of course in the supporting character department you have Brad Dourif, who is really good here as a questionable character with his classic twisted intensity. And you have Tommy Lee Jones, who is obviously a Hollywood legend. Seeing him in his youth here is kind of a surprise, because his career really didn’t take off until he was in his late 40s or early 50s as I recall. Seeing him looking so young had me taken a bit aback.
Despite all that, Eyes of Laura Mars is a look back at the late 70s fashion scene through crimson eyes. Faye Dunaway plays a character who is a famous photographer of fashion models. She’s reached a phase in her life and career, however, where she has become obsessed with the news, grimness, and violence. She begins shooting controversial photos that involve her models placed in violent and graphic situations. Of course this goes over negatively and is upsetting people to say the least, especially in the 70s.
Great (relative terminology) disco music fills the background as Dunaway does some real intense shoots, and you get a glimpse of what may or may not actually have been the fashion scene back in the day. The film is fairly intense as Dunaway’s character starts to see murders of people she cares about taking place remotely. The mystery is who is doing the killing, of course.
René Auberjonois is terrific as Dunaway‘s manager. An unsung character actor of his time. The supporting cast in this one is pure 70s perfection all the way. John Carpenter wrote a fairly decent script here and Irving Kirchner‘s direction is very good, if not setting itself apart in a visual sense. The soundtrack smells and feels like Dirty Harry-era Lalo Schifrin, with a touch of Henry Manfredini thrown in for taste. And that ain’t a bad thing.
Overall, a great flick that was fun to watch and it’s definitely a throwback to the days of the late 70s suspense film.
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